Training is a noble Profession. Successful Corporate employee training and development yields a variety of benefits including, a more competitive work force, better employee performances and increased staff engagement and retention to name a few.
In my humble opinion providing training only to be competent in the employees jobs is only a tip of the iceberg. This includes training them on the hard skills and the Power skills. We need to dwell upon finding solutions to the other hidden key factors as well, which would provide a comprehensive solutions to improve productivity and profitability besides the development of the employees to reach their fullest potential. Everything depends in the hands of the trainers or managers. Hence, the organisations should also continuously keep on training the trainers in order to find new dimensions to motivate, inspire, train and develop the trainees continuously to reach the highest standards and higher echelons in their careers within the organisation.
In this socio, economic and political failures crises, almost everyone from top to bottom of the organisation is stressed, anxious, depressed and demotivated. The trainer could make all the differences to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and motivate and inspire the trainees to perform better which would lead to better profits and returns to the organisations thereby providing relief to everyone from top to bottom of the organisation. Hence, it is a herculean task of a manager or trainer to bring them back the adverse effects in these uncertain times to normalcy in order to keep them going. It is something like swimming against the tides but the competent trainers should have the abilities and capabilities to sail 
against the winds to reach ashore. The managers and trainers should play pivotal roles in inspiring their employees to realising the companies vision and mission in spite of the adverse factors seen in the micro and macro environments.
The Ultimate Objective
They should inculcate the ‘values’ as well in an holistic way. They should change with the change as this is vital to be the No.1 in the business industry. The ultimate objective of the Training Profession has to ‘Produce multi talented trainees to supercede them’.
Providing Comprehensive Training
Let us now look at the crucial factors those are responsible to create stress among employees thereby becoming demotivated and non-productive to the organisations; they are the following areas; personal life, work life, family life, financial life, social life , religious life and spiritual life. Also they should have a well balanced physical, fitness, nutrition and values, ethics and emotional, positive mental attitude and harmonise with the society and environment. Ultimately and eventually they should be transformed as a ‘Complete person’ with the above approaches to ‘holistic training’. As a result they should not only become as intellectuals but also worthy citizens and contributor to the society and Motherland.
Hence, the managers or trainers should not only focus on providing necessary training such as product, territory, company, customer, procedure, competitor, industry, IT, technical, disease knowledge (for Pharmaceuticals) and other relevant knowledge and skills but also equip the trainees to identify their struggles and weaknesses and assist them to transform their stresses, struggles and weaknesses to major strengths besides further helping them to further improve on their strengths. Personal life comprises of Personality, character, Leadership, good attitude, Self Discipline, Behaviour, Punctuality, regular attendance, Compassion, Honesty, caring, Hardworking, Self Motivation, Time Management, work well in teams and Communication Skills. In my opinion as a trainer you should expect the following aspects from your trainees; Excellent Character, Intelligence, Positive thinking and Positive Mental Attitude, Flexibility, Adaptability, Emotional stability and Good Character.
Imparting Knowledge and technical skills are only a part of the service rendered by trainers.
The Importance of Power Skills
Power skills, also known as soft skills, transferable skills or human skills, are non-technical, role- agnostic skills that enable individuals to interact effectively, navigate change and drive overall success in the workplace. This also helps to make better decisions, be more flexible, creative, communicate better with our environment and be able to deal with problems more effectively. The transition from ‘soft skills’ to ‘power skills’, reflects a deeper recognition of the importance of these skills in the work and personal space and emphasises their transformative capacity in both Professional and everyday life.
The term ‘power’ reflects the considerable impact these skills can have on productivity, team work and effectiveness and the ability to solve complex challenges among others.
Examples of Power Skills and Leap Forward Against Competition
Active listening, Conflict management, critical thinking, attention to detail, interpersonal skills/team work, grit, curiosity, empathy, communication skills, adaptability to change, creativity, self-motivation, assertiveness, time management and emotional intelligence are some examples of power skills that need to be inculcated among your staff should you be interested in taking a giant leap forward beating your competitors. Unfortunately most of the companies and trainers very often overlook these important skills during training sessions.
However, it is not too late to start implementing these practice. All you need to do is to find a versatile trainer and identify these gaps in training and draw a more comprehensive strategic plan to implement these skills among your employees to propel and move forward to reach high echelons in your businesses.
Other detrimental areas of interests should be developing Skills, Inculcating Values & Attitude & Make these as Habit formation. In this present times of uncertainties you should make them as ‘critical thinkers’ having analytical minds. In order to do this you have to also make them as ‘avid readers and proactive’. The trainers are responsible for moulding the Characters in their trainees. It is very important that the aim of any trainer has to transform the trainees to have a ‘virtuos Character’. Hence, the trainers should teach the trainees on the “Work – Life balance” in order to be dynamic, vibrant and resilient employees who could lead fulfillment lives. You could also think in line with the latest ‘agile learning design’ to benefit the trainees and organisations. Also training them on, ‘agile marketing’ as well may be appropriate to the companies that are in search of new vistas in businesses. In conclusion as the responsible trainers and managers you should train them on change management, crisis management and conflict management. Previously these were the requirements for the top management. Now businesses and business environment that we operate in have evolved. Need of the hour is holistic approach to your noble Profession.
The Cardinal Rule
By fulfilling the duties outlined in the article, I am confident that you could ‘produce multi-talented trainees superceding you’ and make them as future Leaders. As a cardinal rule in training, ‘understand the outcomes you are seeking and how you will evaluate whether they have been achieved before you design the training programme’. Further more, train your trainees consistently and frequently. Make them to acuminate their Knowledge and transferable skills from your teachings and experiences. The employers should expect ‘effective and efficient’ training plans and programmes from their trainers and managers. The trainer should also function as an advisor, a coach, guide, counsellor and mentor. As trainers you should assist your employers to realise the Return on Investments (ROI) and Return on Training Investments(RoTI) as these have to be your supreme goal and objective. Do not wait till the country’s situation becomes to normalcy. It is something like waiting for the waves in the sea to seize to go for swimming or go for fishing in the calm water. The future of your companies and the trainees are in your hands. Transforming your trainees lives at workplaces should be your ultimate goal and pleasure. Act fast, act now.
The writer is a Professional Pharma Marketer and Trainer, having over 30 years of multifaceted experience. He is also a Specialist in Professional Communication, Group Communication Skills and Presentation Skills.
About the Writer
Ravindhiran is eligible to follow Certified Professional Marketer (CPM), the highest recognition awarded by the Asian Marketing Federation.
